Mark your calendar for the 34^th Annual School Nurse Symposium, which will take place June 12-13, 2025! This event will provide school nurses from across the U.S. with an opportunity to learn about the latest health care practices and education.

The webcast last year had 1,680 attendees from 10 states, and this year will be the first in-person conference since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to network and meet other nurses and medical professionals!

“We’re excited to have school nurses on the Cook Children’s campus,” meeting and event coordinator Danielle Allsbrook said.  “We have a great lineup of speakers this year. We are expecting to sell out fast, so make sure you register early!”

To ensure accessibility for nurses located outside of the Fort Worth area, the two-day symposium will be livestreamed. 

“With the virtual option, we are able to make a positive impact for the betterment of pediatric healthcare not only in Tarrant County but in cities and states from a variety of regions,” said Leigh Ann Campbell, MSN, RN, CPN, School Nurse Symposium planning committee chair. 

The conference will provide the opportunity to learn from the leading experts in pediatric care and student health. We’ll examine emerging health trends that impact students and discuss evidence-based practices in the school clinical setting to improve patient outcomes. Topics will include life threatening events at schools, behavioral health, sports injuries, diabetes in children and much more. 

This year, our second day will cover diabetes education for school nurses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Diabetes Statistics Report, diabetes is relatively common in children, affecting about 35 in every 10,000 children and adolescents in the United States. Cook Children’s clinics combined also have over 8,000 diabetes encounters per year including mental health counseling, nutrition counseling and classes in English and Spanish.

A Sneak Peek at Conference Topics 
Throughout the conference, you’ll have the opportunity to attend more than a dozen presentations including:

• Acute life-threatening events at school with Ben Olsson, D.O., and Jonathan Nedrelow, M.D.
• Sports related concussions: Evaluation and management in pediatrics and adolescents with Nicole Pitts, D.O., Cook Children’s—Prosper
• Drug exposure in the student population with Donna Wright, MSN, APRN, CPNP, CP-SANE, and Sergeant Scott Banes, Fort Worth Police Department
• Pediatric depression: symptoms, diagnosis and treatment with Kia Carter, M.D.
• Supporting students with autism with Zelime Elibol, M.D., and Duy Le, BCBA
• Navigating diabetes care in schools with Susan Hsieh, M.D., and Candice Williams, APNP, Cook Children’s
• Keeping diabetics safe at school, it’s the law! with Crystal Woodward, MPS, American Diabetes Association

What Past Attendees Are Saying About the Symposium

• "This is my favorite continuing education every year! It is always very relevant and you always have the best speakers!”
• "Great presenters with great information! I look forward to this annual conference.”
• "This was my first time watching and I learned so much. I will be watching it again. I learned so much valuable information that I could have used during the first couple of years of school nursing. I look forward to watching it next year. Thank you!”
• “I have been attending this symposium for the past several years, and I always look forward to it. It just seems to get better every year. Thank you for the resources and education that you provide for school nurses!”
• "This was one of the best School Nurse Symposiums I have attended. Every topic was interesting and applicable.”

Register Now!

• Registration for In-Person Event
  • Day 1 (June 12)
  • Day 2 (June 13)
• Registration for Virtual Event
  • Day 1 (June 12)
  • Day 2 (June 13)

Ongoing Webinars

Don’t forget to check out our school nurse resources. We have webinars available throughout the year.

Have Questions?

Email Danielle Allsbrook, meeting and event coordinator at Danielle.Allsbrook@cookchildrens.org. 

We can’t wait to see you this summer!

Did you know the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) actually has an official stance encouraging pediatricians to talk with their families about the importance of daily, out-loud reading to your children (Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Pediatric Primary Care Practice).

Sometimes, when the AAP releases statements like this, that seem like common sense, I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes and tell myself, “Ok, thanks for stating the obvious.”

This one, while perhaps common sense, is very important. 

Why?

Despite the fact that I think most parents would agree with the importance of reading to your children, studies show that only about half of children are read to aloud every day. In addition, reading to children sets the stage for their speech development which helps them do better in school. So what are the reasons for not reading to your child?

1. I don’t have time.

We aren’t asking that you read “War and Peace” every night with your 6 month old. I’m hoping for about 5-10 minutes of reading (1-2 short books). Ultimately, if you don’t have that much time then just read for the amount of time that you can, any amount is better than none. Our kids really like to read during meal times as well, it tends to keep them eating and moving and keep their fighting about food to a minimum. If you routinely watch TV during meals, it’s a much better alternative.

2. If they don’t understand, it doesn’t matter.

Reading to your children even before they are speaking is an important part of teaching them language. Babies learn the sounds of language long before they know any words. The number of words a child hears before they start kindergarten is a strong predictor of how well they will do in school. This is why it’s not only important to read to them, you should also spend time talking with them all throughout the day.

3. It’s so boring.

This one I can really sympathize with. There are nights where I feel like I deserve an Oscar for my dramatic performances … but there are also nights where I drone on in monotone and doze off between pages. It’s important to really engage your children as best you can, based upon their age. Have them help you count objects, letters or words on the page. If it’s a book you’ve read 1,000 times, read the wrong word and let them correct you (“Ohhhh … daaaadd, you’re so silly!”). You can be selfish here. Do whatever it takes to make it interesting for you, it will make it easier for you to do it and it’s likely that your child will enjoy it more as well.

4. They don’t even seem to enjoy it.

Let’s face it … sometimes they don’t even seem like they care. Your 12 month old is crying because he or she is tired but doesn’t want to go to bed. My youngest would rather chew on a book than have you read it. My oldest child would often rather be reading his own book than listening to me. But, I press on. Reading is not only beneficial for the language development, but studies show that it helps to develop more nurturing parent-child relationships. Perhaps more importantly, is what it does for me. After a hard day at work, getting home to referee the boys fight for 2 hours, it’s nice to have some one-on-one time with each child to remember that I still like them.

5. No one ever told me it was important.

Well, you can’t use this one anymore can you? Just in case you missed the message, it’s important.

Start by making a plan to read to your child every day for the next month.

Get a calendar out and mark off the days. 

I promise it will benefit your child for years to come.

Resources For Families

• AAP Tips for Families for Early Reading and Literacy
• Is Your Child Ready to Read?
• 5 Ways Parents Can Improve Their Child's Vocabulary
• The Unique Challenges of Raising a Highly Gifted Child